Journalism Award Goes to PLU Grad
 The Society of Professional Journalists honored Breanne Coats, a 2008 graduate of Pacific Lutheran University, with the 2008 Julie Galvan Outstanding Graduate in Journalism Award.
The national award recognizes one graduate who is considered the most outstanding on the basis of character, community service, scholarship, proficiency in practical journalism and significant contributions to their SPJ chapter. Coats was nominated for the award by PLU’s SPJ campus chapter.
In her time at PLU, Coats made a significant mark on journalism at the university and in the state of Washington. She worked for the student newspaper the Mast as a contributing writer, sports co-editor and editor-in-chief, and she was an active member of the student chapter of SPJ.
Coats credits her communication professors with giving students the chance to explore and work in all forms of journalism, from newspapers to radio and television. “Not all schools provide opportunities for all three,” she said.
Her time at PLU prepared her to excel at her current position: the 2008 Pulliam/Kilgore Freedom of Information intern at SPJ’s national headquarters in Indianapolis. There, she learned about freedom of information issues facing journalists today, interviewed powerful people in the industry and wrote for SPJ’s member magazine on the topic.
 ESPN.com Features Belmont Basketball Player
Belmont Bruins senior Andy Wicke has been featured on ESPN.com by college basketball writer Kyle Whelliston. The story, “Belmont’s NCAA Tourney Hero Inspires Off the Court,” highlights Andy’s character and life aspirations in addition to his successful basketball career. To read the story, click here.
USA Today Picks Two Elon Football Players for “Players to Watch” List
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| Scott Riddle |
Wide receiver Terrell Hudgins and quarterback Scott Riddle, both Elon University football players, were among 10 athletes nationwide named as “players to watch” in a USA Today article that previewed the upcoming season on Aug. 22.
Hudgins '10 had an impressive season last fall, leading the NCAA I-AA Division with an average of 134 receiving yards per game while scoring 18 overall touchdowns. He was a SoCon Player of the Week, a National Player of the Week and a Walter Payton Award finalist.
Riddle '11 had an equally impressive season as he was honored with the SoCon Freshman of the Year Award after passing for 3,817 yards and 31 scores. Riddle was also a SoCon Player of the Month as well as a Walter Payton Award finalist.
Viewer’s Choice: Roza and the Rozatones Win Over ABC Audience
Ithaca College senior Revital Roza and her funk-influenced band The Rozatones took top honors in ABC News’s battle of superstar interns. After hearing Roza and her band perform against rival singer and fellow intern ShaLyse Walker on the August 17 broadcast of Good Morning America Weekend Edition, thousands of viewers voted for the best performer. Roza and her band — composed entirely of Ithaca College students — were named the winners on the August 24 show.
Roza and Walker, a student at Brigham Young University, spent the summer interning at Good Morning America Weekend Edition. When the producers discovered their interns were also talented singers, arrangements were made for Roza and Walker to compete in a viewer-arbitrated face-off.
Roza’s performance may be viewed at ABC's Web site.
Summer Research Strong at Drake
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Students and faculty who participated in 2008 DUSCI Summer Undergraduate Research Program.
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Twelve students have been researching subjects ranging from molecular dynamics to high-energy galactic behaviors to the effects of cocaine withdrawal on memory as part of Drake University's summer undergraduate research program.
The students recently presented their final projects during the conclusion of the 2008 Drake Undergraduate Science Collaborative Institute (DUSCI) Summer Undergraduate Research Program.
The students are challenged to learn at a level of a graduate student in the sense that they are expected to obtain publishable results and present their work using a national conference format," explained professor Maria Bohorquez, DUSCI director. "Their research projects challenge them, and their reward is not a grade; it is the discovery of new knowledge.
UE Engineering Students Achieve Rare 100%
Pass Rate On National Exam
The Indiana State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers notified the University of Evansville that its Class of 2008 Civil Engineering alums had scored a 100 percent pass rate on their Fundamentals of Engineering exams. The rare feat, achieved for the first time by a UE class, means that each of these 12 students has successfully completed the first step toward becoming a registered professional engineer.
The test is administered by the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES), and is taken by civil engineering students across the country.
“This is a major milestone for the civil engineering program at the University of Evansville,” said Brian Swenty, chair of the University’s Department of Mechanical and Civil Engineering. “I am extremely proud of these students, most of whom have graduated and either entered the practice of civil engineering, or are pursuing advanced degrees in graduate school.”
While this marks the first time UE has scored the rare 100 percent pass rate, this marks the 10th time in the past 12 years that UE’s students have exceeded the national pass rate.
The eight-hour exam tests students in mathematics, chemistry, engineering topics (such as electrical circuits, fluid mechanics, and thermodynamics), and discipline-specific topics (e.g. structural engineering, geotechnical engineering, hydraulic engineering, and transportation engineering).
The Numbers Are In: Students Committed to Service
Valparaiso University students continued to demonstrate their commitment to serving others during the past academic year, setting a new record for the number of volunteer hours dedicated to a variety of philanthropic efforts.
Information compiled by Valparaiso’s Office of Volunteer Programs showed that during the 2007-2008 academic year, more than 40 student organizations and athletic teams performed 57,879 hours of community services for a variety of programs and causes, mostly in Northwest Indiana.
In addition to participating in numerous service projects, Valparaiso students raised $86,049 for philanthropic causes during the year.
Student Research Aims to Improve Weather Forecasting
A Valparaiso University meteorology student performed cutting-edge weather research this summer as part of a national project aiming to improve severe storm forecasts through a prestigious scholarship program for the nation’s top undergraduate meteorology students.
Senior Derek Stratman was among 100 meteorology majors in the United States selected as a Hollings Scholars last year, with the opportunity to conduct research this summer at an agency of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Stratman’s internship took him to the NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Okla. The center is responsible for monitoring and forecasting severe thunderstorms, tornados, wildfires, winter storms and other hazardous weather conditions.
In addition to working with weather researchers in Oklahoma, Stratman presented his research findings to scientists at NOAA headquarters in Maryland in late July.
Before this summer, Stratman hadn’t decided whether he wanted to pursue a career in meteorological research.
“After experiencing it first hand all summer, I found that I love research and want to continue doing it well into the future,” he said. “I also made so many personal contacts this summer with people working for NOAA and at the University of Oklahoma’s graduate program in meteorology that I feel comfortable about my future plans.”
Elon Students Earn Study Abroad Scholarships
 Elon University juniors Mykel L. Dodson and Sarah Vavreck have won national scholarships through the nonprofit Institute of International Education to help fund their upcoming study abroad programs.
Dodson, a communications major, has been awarded a $5,000 scholarship from the IIE's Freeman-ASIA Program to help fund his fall 2008 semester at Kansai Gaidai University in Japan, where he will study Japanese language and culture in the Asian Studies Program. Dodson is participating in the exchange program between Kansai Gaidai and Elon.
Vavreck has been awarded a $5,000 Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship to help fund her fall 2008 semester at the University of Ghana in Accra, Ghana, which takes part in an exchange program with Elon. Vavreck is majoring in human services and has a minor in psychology. She is a member of the Periclean Scholars program and has worked on several service projects to benefit organizations in Ghana.
UE Welcomes First Bahraini Student to Campus
The University of Evansville celebrated its newest international relationship this weekend, as its first student from the Kingdom of Bahrain, Rashed Al Jalahma, arrived in late July to major in Mechanical Engineering. The University expects that up to seven Bahraini students will attend UE for the 2008-2009 academic year.
Bev Fowler, UE’s director of International Admission called his arrival “the culmination of several years of cooperative effort between the University and Aysha Murad, the cultural attaché at the Embassy of the Kingdom of Bahrain in Washington, D.C.”
Drake, East High Students Collaborate on Chemistry Research
Two students and two Des Moines East High School students are collaborating on chemistry research on Drake's campus this summer. They are working eight hours a day for a period of eight to ten weeks in a chemistry lab in Cline Hall.
Drake students Ryan Johnson and Samuel Nkrumah-Agyeefi were selected to participate in the research project by Mark Vitha, Drake associate professor of chemistry.
Nkrumah-Agyeefi, a junior biochemistry and molecular biology major from Ghana, knows the experiences at Drake have been enriching. "Here, I am exposed to enhanced research and get to spend one-on-one time with professors, which is very important," he said.
The students from East High School -- Carolina Chavez and Zoila Sarmiento -- were selected by their chemistry teacher to work on the project. They are being supported by a $5,000 grant called Project SEED from the American Chemical Society.
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| The research group (from left): Sam Nkrumah-Agyeefi, Ryan Johnson, Carolina Chavez, Mark Vitha and Zoila Sarmiento. |
Vitha is working with the students as their scientist-mentor. He oversees the research and also helps students expand their awareness and understanding of the workforce.
Their research focuses on the effects of different solvents on the light-absorbing and -emitting properties of dyes. The long-term goal is to study a large number of different dyes and, once their behavior is understood, to use them to characterize surfactant solutions. Surfactants have a number of applications, ranging from household use in dishwashing detergent and shampoo to industrial application to help enhance the amount of oil recovered from reservoirs.
All four students are also participating in the Drake Undergraduate Science Collaborative Institute, a program designed to promote, support and coordinate efforts to fund undergraduate research in math and science. Fourteen students are participating in DUSCI this summer.
Butler Grad Honored for Humanitarian Work
 Ambassadors For Children (AFC) honored 2008 Butler graduate Michael Hole with its first Young Ambassador for Peace Award on July 12 in Indianapolis.
AFC also presented its annual Peace Award to the founder and executive director of the Cambodian Children’s Fund Scott Neeson (pictured, left to right, with AFC Director Dr. Sally Brown and Michael Hole).
Butler University President Bobby Fong presented the award to Hole, recognizing his work to found and direct the Butler University AFC chapter. During the past year, the chapter raised more than $40,000 to build a school in Uganda, in a campaign called Power of Children.
Fellowship Encourages Senior to Find Calling
 Timothy Siburg, a senior religion and economics double major at Pacific Lutheran University, was named a recipient of the Fund for Theological Education Undergraduate Fellowship.
The competitive fellowship recognizes students who have gifts for leadership and are exploring the possibility of ministry as a vocation. Only 50 were awarded to students at colleges and universities across the United States.
Provost Patricia O’Connell Killen, who is also Siburg’s advisor, nominated him for the award.
“Timothy’s strong academic record and his involvement in music and his local congregation made him a strong candidate for an FTE fellowship,” she said.
“Even more, his dual interests in religion and economics, especially in the question of how religious organizations are resources for communities’ economic and civic empowerment, made him stand out as a candidate. He thinks critically about religious organizations for the future, not simply today.”
Along with a $2,000 award to offset tuition costs, Siburg attended the association’s Conference on Excellence in Ministry in June at Emory University in Atlanta.
Along with singing in the Choir of the West and serving as vice president for the Residence Hall Association, Siburg is currently working on his capstone project for religion and economics. His research examines the religious promotion of sustainable development in third world nations.
Siburg is the third PLU student to receive the fellowship.
Elon Students – Both Freshmen and Upperclassmen – Having a Busy Summer
 Elon University’s opportunities for service are starting early for a dozen incoming freshmen as part of PreSERVE, a first-year summer experience that includes work on a Habitat for Humanity home in Alamance County.
Participants spent a week in a program sponsored by the Kernodle Center for Service Learning. In addition to home building through Habitat for Humanity, the group is taking part in service projects with groups such as the Burlington Housing Authority, Salvation Army Boys and Girls Club and the Burlington Animal Shelter and Pet Adoption Center.
Meanwhile, 32 freshmen are taking part in Adventures in Leadership, a two-week summer program sponsored by the Center for Leadership at Elon University. Students got to know each other during the Elon challenge course, rock climbing in West Virginia, whitewater rafting down the New River and through other team-oriented activities.
Adventures in Leadership is led by junior Maria Wyka, a program coordinator, and eight sophomore facilitators. Mallory Anderson, director of the Center for Leadership, advises the program.
Lastly, four students from Elon’s chapter of Pi Kappa Phi will be spending most of their summer raising money and awareness for Push America, the fraternity’s national philanthropy, in part by biking cross country from the West Coast to Washington, D.C. The event raises funds and awareness for people with disabilities.
 Dan Cariello ’08 and Sam Christenbury ’10 are cyclists on the Journey of Hope, a cross-country bicycle trek with teams originating in both San Francisco and Seattle and concluding in Washington, DC.
Ben Kaufman ’10 and Jim Rampton ’09 are interning for Push America. Kaufman is responsible for the public relations aspect of the Trans America Route of the Journey of Hope, acting as a liaison between Push America, the cyclists, and the national media. Rampton is working on the developmental end of Push America and is currently organizing a fundraising event in coordination with the 2008 Marine Corps Marathon.
The Journey of Hope concludes at the United States Capitol Building on Saturday, Aug. 16, at 11 a.m.
Two Hamline Students Receive Prestigious Gilman Scholarships to Be Used for Study Abroad
Aranya Thor and Leyla Bari, two students at Hamline University, are among 1,200 Gilman Scholars named nationwide The Gilman Scholarship is a nationally competitive scholarship awarded by the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and the Institute of International Education.
Thor, an East Asian studies major, will spend one semester in China and one semester in Japan. Bari, an art history major, will be studying in Egypt.
The Gilman Scholarship Program supports study abroad opportunities. It aims to encourage students to choose non-traditional study abroad destinations, especially those outside of Western Europe and Australia.
Valpo Grads to Teach in France
Three 2008 graduates of Valparaiso University’s French program will spend the next year teaching in French schools after being accepted into a selective government-sponsored teaching program. Emily Peters, a French and biology major; Barrett Ludy, a French and Spanish major; and Taylor Steinbruegge, a French and television-radio communication major, will travel to France in September to begin the teaching assistantship program. The program, sponsored by France’s Ministry of Education and the Cultural Services, places recent Americans graduate in primary and secondary schools where they teach English and help French students practice their conversation skills.
Dr. Randa Duvick, associate professor of foreign languages and literatures, said Valparaiso graduates have been selected by the French government for the teaching program in six of the past eight years.
Each of the students studied abroad during their time at Valparaiso. Peters spent a summer in Grenoble, Steinbruegge spent a semester in a Paris internship program, and Ludy participated in a semester-long study program in Granada, Spain.
Students, Faculty Explore Water Pollution in China
Philip Lohrmann, a senior civil engineering and Chinese and Japanese studies major at Valparaiso University, is working with Chinese researchers this summer to determine whether a new, septic tank-like system can benefit bamboo forests and prevent algae blooms plaguing China’s waterways.
Lohrmann is spending eight weeks in the area, working with Dr. Zhengqian Ye of Zhejiang Forestry University’s School of Environmental Science and Technology to help design and monitor an anaerobic digestion system similar to a septic tank. The system’s outflow will be pumped into a terraced area covered by a bamboo forest.
“We want to see whether having the outflow go through the forest helps water quality,” said Dr. Jonathan Schoer, an assistant professor of chemistry who helped arrange Lohrmann’s research. “A lot of people don’t have septic systems in the area because it’s mountainous and the rocky ground makes it tough to dig. Water quality also hasn’t traditionally been a big concern.”
It will take several years to assess the effectiveness of the anaerobic digester system, and Dr. Schoer is working to provide opportunities for other Valparaiso students get involved in the project.
Kemper Scholars Gain Leadership Experience Through Internships
From assisting whistleblowers in civil lawsuits to working for one of the nation’s most influential mayors to conducting art research at a leading auctionhouse, three Valparaiso University students are getting their careers on the fast-track this summer through a select national program that develops future servant leaders.
Valparaiso seniors Bonnie Keane and Olivia Hillmer and junior Chet Cameron are participating in internships matched to their career interests. The Kemper program prepares students for leadership and service by combining education in the liberal arts with opportunities for career exploration and practical experiences.
Valparaiso is one of 15 institutions of higher education in the country selected by the Kemper Foundation to have its students participate in the Scholars Program. Each Scholar participates in a summer internship following his or her sophomore and junior years, and in other foundation-sponsored activities throughout the rest of the year.
Nursing Students Provide Community-based Education
This month Valparaiso University nursing students are teaching young people and adults in the community how they can lead healthier lives through proper exercise, nutrition, sleep and stress relief.
Cheryl Slack, adjunct clinical instructor in nursing, is teaching the community nursing course that prepares students to provide their patients and the community at large with information that helps them maintain and improve their health before experiencing a health problem. As part of the course, more than three dozen nursing students are working in teams on health promotion activities designed to help people take a proactive approach to their health.
“The service learning health promotion teaching project the students complete is an introduction to health education, which is a major component of nursing care today,” said Slack, especially given the rising cost of providing care for acute health conditions.
Simmons Student Wins National Songwriting Competition
 Simmons College senior Daniela Blau is the winner of the fifth annual BMI peer music Latin Scholarship, a competition for original Latin songs and instrumental compositions. Blau, a 21-year-old native of Costa Rica, received a $5,000 college scholarship for her song, "Y Si No Lo Sabes." The award was presented onstage during the BMI Latin Awards ceremony in Los Angeles on June 12. Blau majors in nutrition and dietetics at Simmons.
Physician Assistant Society Receives Award
Quinnipiac's Physician Assistant Student Society received the Outstanding Student Society
Award from the Student Academy of the American Academy of Physician Assistants.
Students accepted the award at the 36th annual American Academic of Physician Assistants conference in San Antonio, Texas. The award recognizes outstanding service to the profession in public education, public service, promotion of diversity and professional involvement during the 2007-2008 academic year.
Quinnipiac students raised the most money, $10,000, of all student societies nationwide for the American Academy of Physician Assistants Host City Prevention Campaign. The funds benefit an organization in the host city of the academy's annual conference. The 2008 beneficiary is The Children's Shelter in San Antonio, which promotes child literacy.
The society also received a certificate of recognition for donating 103 new children's books to the book drive for the Host City Prevention Campaign.
North Central Student Awarded Scholarship, Traveling to Africa on Volunteer Medical Mission
North Central College has awarded its 2008 Mironda K. Heston Scholarship for Human Service to Daniel Tice, a junior majoring in biology and pre-med. Through the scholarship, Tice will travel to southwestern Ghana in Africa, July 20 to Aug. 18, to deliver volunteer medical services to the poor through an organization called Projects Abroad. A non-government organization that coordinates service volunteers in medical settings, Projects Abroad makes it possible for pre-med students to directly administer certain treatments, giving the students hands-on experience in service-oriented medicine.
Four University of Scranton Students Win Prestigious International Fellowships
 Three members of The University of Scranton’s class of 2008 have been awarded Fulbright Fellowships and a fourth has been awarded a French Government Teaching Assistantship in the same competition as the Fulbright awards. The four are among the 121 Scranton students who have received grants in the competitions administered by the Institute of International Education (Fulbright) and International Rotary since 1972.
Christopher L. Molitoris received a Fulbright Scholarship in Economic Development to Al Akhawayn University, Morocco. Andrea L. Frankenburger received a Fulbright Teaching Assistantship in English to Argentina. Jessica M. LaPorta received a Fulbright Teaching Assistantship in English to South Korea. Allison M. Martyn received a French Government Teaching Assistantship in English to France. In total, seven Scranton students were selected as national Fulbright finalists. Two other members of the class of 2008, Katherine Prizeman and Gian Vergnetti were named as alternates for Fulbright Fellowships to Uruguay and Sweden, respectively.
For the past three years, The Chronicle of Higher Education has listed The University of Scranton among the “top producers” of Fulbright awards for American students. The Chronicle listed Scranton among only 13 universities in the nation in the “Masters Institutions” category having three or more Fulbright awards in 2007.
Two Pacific Lutheran Students Head to Germany on Fulbrights
 Ericka Hummel ’08 and Daniel Wilson ’06 both have early memories of Germany, as both visited or lived in the country as children. Now, these Pacific Lutheran alumni will return as Fulbright scholars.
“It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity,” Hummel said. “I’m excited about everything.”
Hummel lived in Germany for three years as a young girl, spent a J-Term in Berlin and majored in German. Wilson, who also majored in the language, first visited the country as a third-grader and then spent a J-Term in Cologne and semester in Berlin. This fall, each will return to Germany on 10-month Fulbright English Teaching Assistantships.
The duo brings the total number of PLU students to ever receive the prestigious award to 78. Hummel will be based in Gera, Germany, while Wilson will be in a yet-to-be-named town in Saxony.
Drury Student to Intern at Mayo Clinic
Mian Wang, a Drury biology and chemistry major, has received an internship to the Mayo Clinic for this summer. Out of 750 applications sent to the Mayo Clinic for an internship opportunity, Wang was one of only 80 people who were accepted.
Mian is a Trustee Scholar who came to Drury from China in 2005. Last summer, Mian had her first research experience working at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, where she was working with a Japanese scientist whose focus was on the role of mitochondria and mtDNA in apoptosis and cancer progression. Mian recently had her paper of her research published in the Journal of Cancer Science.
Elon Students Head to Morocco for Service Trip
 Six students will travel to the remote highlands of central Morocco this month as part of a service trip to tutor children learning English and to observe firsthand how residents of the impoverished region are developing profitable cottage industries.
The trip, sponsored by the Truitt Center for Religious & Spiritual Life and the Kernodle Center for Service Learning, represents the first time students from Elon are traveling to the North African nation as part of a formal program. By visiting Ifrane, a town in the Middle Atlas Mountains, trip advisers hope students will bring back home a better understanding of Islamic culture.
“Appreciating any culture is of value, especially in this current era,” Phil Smith, assistant chaplain and director of religious life at Elon, said of a program he is co-advising. “And there’s something to be learned from this trip in our attempt to deal with poverty in our own country.”
The group, led by students Tiffany Williams-Cobleigh and Matt White, leaves the United States on June 20 and returns July 1. Smith, Williams-Cobleigh and a third Elon student - junior Shane Morris, who is currently studying in Jordan - traveled to Morocco last year to seek out local schools and agencies with which to partner for the 2008 trip.
Much of the time will be devoted to mentoring, but one day will also be set aside to learn how women in a nearby village were able to develop their own sustainable co-op business – weaving rugs made with wool sheared from the very herd of sheep they maintain.
Elon Alum’s Senior Seminar Paper Accepted for Publication
Justine Davis, a 2008 graduate of Elon University, has had her international studies senior seminar paper accepted for publication in the journal Explorations: The Journal of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities for the State of North Carolina.
The paper, “Assessing the International Appeal of Women's Peace Organizations in the Casamance Conflict, Senegal,” examines the factors that influence international support for the groups.
Elon Senior to Attend Selective Film Program in LA
Elon University senior cinema major Emily Robinson will attend the Fusion Arts Exchange program in Los Angeles for five weeks. Robinson was selected from a wide field of applicants as one of five American undergraduate students to participate with 15 international students in writing and production workshops at the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts.
Quinnipiac School of Business Student Wins $2,500 Award
Michal Sandve, a senior finance major at Quinnipiac’s School of Business, won a $2,500 award in the Spring 2008 Connecticut Collegiate Business Plan Competition held April 25 in New Haven.
The 10th annual competition was sponsored by the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development, the Apple Pickers Foundation, Connecticut Innovations and the Entrepreneurship Foundation. This year's competition included 102 student business plans from nine different colleges and universities in Connecticut. Following presentations to a panel of investors and business development experts, four student businesses were selected as winners.
Sandve won in the Undergraduate Student Small Business category for his proposal, "Extreme Motorcycle Rentals." Associate professor of management Dale Jasinski served as Sandve's faculty adviser for the competition.
Each of the four winners received a grant of $2,500 and a trophy for his or her school.
Five Simmons College Rowers Receive National Honors
Five Simmons College rowers were recently recognized by the Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association (CRCA) for their athletic and academic achievements this past season.
Junior Elisabeth Schwarz was named to the NCAA Division III Pocock All-America Second Team for her outstanding performance in the varsity boat this spring. Schwarz is the first rower in the history of the Simmons College crew team to garner All-American honors.
All-American candidates are selected based on strength of schedule, regular season record, end-of-season regatta results, nomination rank, coach's comments and 2k meter scores.
Additionally, five Simmons Sharks were named CRCA 2008 Scholar Athletes for their efforts in the classroom and in the sport. The student-athletes include: seniors Whitney Airgood and Nicole Richards, juniors Schwarz and Lauren Searls and sophomore Nicole Gallant. National Scholar Athletes are recognized in their second through fourth years of eligibility for maintaining a 3.5 GPA or higher during their careers.
Autonomous Lawn Mower Team Takes 2nd Place at ION Competition
The College of Engineering & Computer Science at the University of Evansville wrapped its 2008 competition season this weekend with another strong finish.
The Autonomous Lawn Mower, designed by graduate student Mark Randall and senior Billy Rickey, took second place in the Institute of Navigation’s annual competition in Dayton, Ohio.
The team competed in the Professional Division, which required their machine to mow an "L"-shaped lawn with obstacles like a flower bed, a fence, and a remote-controlled, moving dog.
The prize for second place was $10,000.
Last year’s UE team finished in third place, with perennial winner Wright State taking the crown. This year’s UE mower was stronger, using an electric starter powered by gasoline. As is required by the rules, it operates without any manpower; it is guided by a computer system and GPS, allowing it to be directed by satellite to mow a predetermined path.
Westminster Student Honored as Top Collegiate Journalist by UWIRE
 Jonathan Bonner, a Westminster senior, has recently been selected for the inaugural UWIRE 100, an award that recognizes the nation’s top student journalists.
Bonner is a communications major at Westminster and was recently selected as the new editor of the college’s student newspaper, The Forum.
UWIRE is a free membership organization for college student media. Award winners are selected from more than 500 nominations submitted by students and educators at 132 schools nationwide. A UWIRE panel evaluated each candidate based on demonstrated excellence in a field of collegiate journalism. The UWIRE 100 students hail from 66 different schools, ranging from small liberal arts colleges to large state universities.
Drake Student Wins National Award for Magazine Article
 Drake University student Justine Blanchard has received a national Mark of Excellence Award from the Society of Professional Journalists. She won the award for her nonfiction article “A Shot in the Dark,” which was published in Drake Magazine.
Blanchard's award-winning article focuses on diabulimia, an eating disorder in which Type I diabetics will skip insulin shots to lose weight. Blanchard interviewed medical professionals and two girls with the disorder for the article. “It was an interesting article to write because very few people in the medical community have knowledge that this disorder even exists,” she said.
Blanchard, who just finished her junior year, has a summer internship in New York City at Cookie magazine as part of the American Society of Magazine Editors internship program. Cookie is a parenting magazine that also includes information about fashion and entertainment.
Hamline Alumna Wins Fulbright
 Kestrel Jenkins, a 2007 graduate of Hamline University, has been awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to teach English to primary school children in Madrid, Spain for the 2008-2009 academic year. She will also spend her time abroad studying global trade issues.
At Hamline, Jenkins earned a BA in global studies, a minor in women’s studies, a certificate in International Journalism, and a Spanish proficiency. She participated in two media internships during her years at Hamline, including one in Chile, where she served as a reporter for a local newspaper.
Valparaiso Students Win Fulbrights
For the fourth time in five years, three Valparaiso University students have won prestigious Fulbright awards for international research and teaching and will spend the coming year in Egypt, Austria and Spain.
The following students were elected for Fulbright awards: Molly Scruta, a Spanish and humanities major who graduated in May; Kelly Veltema, a German major who graduated in May; and Jonathan Hallemeier, a philosophy major who graduated in 2007. Scruta will teach English at a primary school in the Madrid metropolitan area, Veltema will teach English at three high schools near the Austrian city of Graz, and Hallemeier will conduct research on Arab epic poetry and how that tradition has continued in contemporary Egyptian society.
Ithaca College Graduate Takes First-Place in John Lennon Scholarship Competition
Songwriter Travis Knapp, a 2007 graduate of Ithaca College, won first place and a $10,000 scholarship for his song, “Before You Go,” in the BMI Foundation’s 11th annual John Lennon Scholarship competition. Recognizing the best and brightest young songwriters between the ages of 15 and 24, the Lennon scholarships were established by Yoko Ono in conjunction with the BMI Foundation and matched by donations from Gibson Musical Instruments. Knapp received his award on stage in May at the BMI Pop Awards ceremony held at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Los Angeles.
Knapp graduated from Ithaca College’s School of Music in 2007 with a dual bachelor’s degree in music and anthropology.
Women’s Lacrosse Players Named Academic All-Americans
Five members of Butler University’s women’s lacrosse team have been named Academic All-Americans by the U.S. Lacrosse Women’s Division Intercollegiate Athletics. The WDIA recognized a total 180 players from 42 colleges and universities who achieved a 3.5 or higher cumulative grade point average as sophomores or higher.
Butler honorees include:
- Carly D’Agostino, attack and defensive wing, a junior studying pre-pharmacy.
- Erikaa Mann, attack and defensive wing, a junior starting Butler’s master of physician assistant studies program in fall.
- Tess Peterson, attack wing, a junior majoring in anthropology and religion.
- Jenna Pierce, center, a senior majoring in psychology.
- Jessica Diefenbach, low defense player and a 2008 graduate in communication disorders and Spanish, beginning graduate studies at IU in fall.
Valparaiso Meteorology Students Chosen for NASA Research Institute
Four Valparaiso University meteorology students will make up one-third of undergraduates participating in an annual summer research institute at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s Goddard Space Flight Center. Junior meteorology majors Christine Standohar, Jeff Ceratto, Dana McGlone, and Aaron Johnson, who is double majoring in computer science, will participate in the program. This is the first year four students from the same institution have been selected for the program.
During NASA’s Summer Institute, each student will spend nine weeks working with a Goddard scientist on research related to his or her scholarly interests. Projects include maximizing the impact of satellite observations in climate and weather prediction and understanding changes in sea ice and snow cover and their relationships with other parts of the climate system. Previous undergraduate students in the program have co-authored research papers with Goddard scientists that were published in scientific journals.
Westminster Lacrosse Wins MCLA Championship, Five Earn Academic All-American Honors
 The Westminster Griffins claimed the MCLA Division II Championship with a 17-10 thrashing of Grand Valley State (Mich.). This is the first national championship in Westminster’s athletic history. This is also just the second year of the lacrosse program at the school.
In the post-season five student-athletes were honored as MCLA Academic All-American honors. They are: Joshua Ramirez, senior co-captain; Zach Kessler, junior; Roman Schoewe, sophomore; Jake Barnes, senior co-captain; and Chris Morin, senior.
In addition to these young men, the Griffins garnered additional post season honors as seven players were named to the MCLA Div-2 All-American team and ten members earned RMLC Div-2 All Conference honors.
Drake Advertising Team Finishes Second
 Thirty-four Drake University advertising seniors recently placed second at the regional level of the American Advertising Federation's National Student Advertising Competition in Omaha, NB. The Drake team finished just one point less than the first-place team.
For the competition, students in Drake's Advertising Capstone course developed a $25 million campaign for America Online's Instant Messenger (AOL AIM). They prepared a Web site redesign for AOL and multimedia advertising summarized in a 32-page pitch book. During the competition, the students gave a 20-minute presentation, and then participated in a 10-minute question-and-answer session.
Their professor, Dorothy Pisarski, was honored at the competition with the Distinguished Advertising Educator of the Year Award for the Ninth District of the American Advertising Federation.
“The NSAC was a great way to gain experience before setting out into the world of advertising,” said Lauren Kowalsky, senior account executive for the AOL campaign.
“As a capstone class, we were able to simulate an advertising agency and work together to create a competitive campaign for AOL,” she added. “Not only did I learn a lot in the process, but our second-place finish really made the hard work worth it.”
Two Graduates Win Entrepreneurial Fellowships
Two recent graduates of Valparaiso University are among a select group of Indiana college graduates who will start two-year fellowships with some of the state’s fastest-growing entrepreneurial companies in June.
Robert Pampel and Kathleen Lindahl have won prestigious Governor Bob Orr Indiana Entrepreneurial Fellowships. Since its inception in 2001, the Orr Fellowship program has strived to keep Indiana’s best and brightest university graduates in the state by placing fellows at sponsoring Indiana companies.
Pampel will work for Angie’s List, which specializes in providing consumer rating services on a wide variety of businesses in major U.S. cities, while Lindahl will work for Exact Target, a developer of software for e-mail communication and marketing. Both companies are based in Indianapolis. In addition to working for their companies, Pampel and Lindahl also will attend monthly meetings with some of Indiana’s most accomplished business leaders and participate in various philanthropic activities and educational seminars.
SIFE Team in Top 4 Percent at National Competition
Teaching personal finance skills to refugee families. Helping East Aurora High School students establish their own self-sustaining business. Finding U.S. markets for free-trade goods from international producers. This year, 87 North Central College students did it all and more, providing 5,600 hours of service and landing them among the nation’s top Students In Free Enterprise (SIFE) teams.
The North Central College SIFE team competed at the SIFE USA National Exposition on May 14 in Chicago and was named first runner-up in its league, finishing in the nation’s top 40 SIFE teams among 900 schools. North Central College won the right to compete at nationals after winning regional competition in March against Purdue University, the University of Illinois and other schools.
SIFE is an international non-profit organization active on more than 1,400 university campuses in 48 countries. SIFE teams create economic opportunities in their communities by organizing outreach projects that focus on market economics, entrepreneurship, personal financial success skills and business ethics.
Research Grants Awarded to Valparaiso Students
Valparaiso University’s Committee on Creative Work and Research has awarded grants to the following students:
- Philip Lohrmann, senior civil engineering and Chinese and Japanese studies major, to pursue water quality research in China’s Zhejiang Province aimed at reducing non-point source pollution;
- Kristopher Serra, a junior psychology major, to support research on why athletes choke and the development of instructions that will help elite athletes perform at their peak in high-pressure game situations;
Grants from Valparaiso’s Committee on Creative Work and Research help foster a climate of systematic inquiry and teaching excellence on campus through the support of research and creative work and faculty-student collaboration on projects.
Honors Graduate Earns Fellowships
Valparaiso University honors graduate Johanna Brinkley has won a major fellowship that will provide three years of support for graduate studies and a possible career as a teacher-scholar at a church-related institution of higher education.
The May graduate, an English and humanities major, is one of 15 students in the country selected for the first cohort of Lilly Graduate Fellows. She plans to enter the Ph.D. program in English at the University of Iowa, and her area of interest is 19th century literature.
Brinkley was enrolled in Christ College (Valpo’s interdisciplinary honors college) and completed a senior English honors project on “Seeing Women, Defining Woman: The Use of the Gaze in George Eliot’s Middlemarch and Elizabeth Stuart Phelp’s The Story of Avis.”
The program is a new initiative of the Valparaiso-based Lilly Fellows Program in Humanities and the Arts to support outstanding students who have a desire to become teacher-scholars at church-related institutions. Fellows were nominated by 89 schools that are members of the Lilly Fellows Program National Network of church-related colleges and universities.
Elon Alum Accepted into Premier Research Program
 Geoffrey Lynn, a chemistry major who graduated from Elon University in 2007, has been accepted into the National Institutes of Health Oxford/Cambridge Scholars Program, a doctoral training program for outstanding science students committed to biomedical research.
Lynn begins a program this fall that will earn him a dual medical and PhD degree with training from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, the National Institutes of Health and Oxford University in England. It will take him an estimated eight years to complete.
The NIH/Oxford/Cambridge program was launched in 2001. About 100 students in the United States have enrolled since its inception. Scholarship recipients receive a living stipend, health insurance coverage, travel expenses and full tuition at either Oxford or Cambridge universities.
“The program provides an unparalleled opportunity for training in a highly multi-disciplinary and collaborative research environment,” Lynn said. “In the traditional model, students seeking a PhD degree often complete all of their work in one laboratory within a single department at a university.
“However, the NIH-OxCam fosters and encourages student projects and collaborations that span disciplines between two of the world’s most prominent biomedical research institutes: either between the NIH and Oxford, or between the NIH and Cambridge.”
Lynn currently works at the National Cancer Institute in Frederick, Md.
Student Wins National Science Foundation Fellowship
Michael Steffen, a 2007 Valparaiso University engineering graduate, will receive a prestigious National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship. The Graduate Research Fellowship funds three years of study up to $121,500 in master’s or doctoral programs focused on research in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Steffen, a graduate student in computer and mechanical engineering at Iowa State University, was one of only five computer engineering students in the country to win an NSF Fellowship. While at Valparaiso, Steffen participated in research through Valparaiso’s virtual reality laboratory. He helped develop and test software used to remotely operate a farm vehicle located in Japan.
Drake Team Takes Third in National Competition
 A Drake University team of Seth Housman, Kejal Patel, Kevin Weber and Jennifer Lose finished third in the national Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee Competition at the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy (AMCP) annual meeting in San Francisco.
The competition mimics the process used by hospitals and insurance plans in deciding if a new drug should be placed on its formulary. The team wrote a monograph of the designated drug, assessed its cost-effectiveness and place in therapy and formally presented and defended its analysis and recommendation.
The Drake team was one of eight finalists in the national competition. To be considered eligible, the team won the local competition, and the AMCP national office selected them to compete. Drake has participated in the competition since 2004. Drake teams have been among the top eight finalists twice in the past four years, finishing first in 2004.
Ithaca College's Habitat For Humanity Chapter Awarded National Youth Programs Grant
The Ithaca College Campus Chapter of Habitat for Humanity was recently awarded a $10,000 matching grant from State Farm, the national sponsor of Habitat’s Youth Programs. In order to receive the funds, the chapter raised $10,000, which was donated to the building projects of their sponsoring affiliate, the Southeastern Steuben County Habitat for Humanity.
“The Ithaca College chapter was selected from hundreds of applications from other campus chapters nationwide,” said Carolin Irvin, State Farm public affairs manager. “With an enrollment of about 6,000, IC was the only small school chosen to receive this grant. All nine of the other campus chapters chosen involved were large colleges and universities with student bodies in the 50,000 range. The strength and commitment of the Ithaca College chapter were lead factors in their selection as participants.”
Since Habitat for Humanity International’s founding in 1976, the organization has built more than 200,000 houses and has a presence in 100 countries.
Drew Streicher Receives NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship
 Butler University men's basketball player Drew Streicher has been awarded an educational grant through the NCAA postgraduate scholarship program. The Butler forward was one of 58 student-athletes representing winter sports who were selected as a 2007-2008 Postgraduate Scholarship Award winner.
Streicher was one of just three NCAA Division I men's basketball players selected to receive a postgraduate scholarship. The other two were Justin Hare of Belmont and John Leasure of Coastal Carolina. A total of 29 men and 29 women from Divisions I, II and III were picked for the scholarship honor. Each will receive a one-time, nonrenewable grant of $7,500.
This past year, Streicher helped lead Butler to a school and Horizon League record 30-4 season. He started all 34 games for the Bulldogs, who captured the Horizon League regular season championship, the Horizon League Tournament title and won a first round game in the NCAA Men's Basketball Championship. The 6-8 post player was named to the Horizon League All-Defensive Team and was picked to the Horizon League All-Tournament squad.
A third team Academic All-American in 2007-2008, Streicher maintained a 4.00 grade point average as a graduate student in Butler's MBA program. He earned his undergraduate degree in chemistry a year ago, and he'll enter medical school at Indiana University this fall. He was a four-time Horizon League Academic All-League pick and a two-time ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA Academic All-District V selection.
Butler’s Student Newspaper Wins Five Awards
The Butler Collegian capped a successful year by winning five awards from the Society of Professional Journalists.
Two of the paper's writers won first-place awards: Monica Freeman for best arts/entertainment feature, “Goins lends heavenly voice to ‘Altar Boyz’,” and Jackie Paquette for best sports story, “Butler falls to defending champion Florida in Sweet 16.”
Lauren Swanson and Brock Benefiel each won a second-place award. Jackie Paquette, Will Willems, Scott Osborn and Juli Doshan shared a third-place award in the category of best layout/design other than page one for the feature “Arch Madness.”
Earlier this year the Collegian won nine awards, including four first-place honors, from the Indiana Collegiate Press Association.
Ithaca College Chapter of the American Marketing Association Garners International Awards
The Ithaca College chapter of the American Marketing Association (ICAMA) received two chapter awards and one individual honor at the AMA’s International Collegiate Conference. In addition to an Outstanding Collegiate Chapter Award, which recognized ICAMA as one of the top 16 collegiate chapters worldwide, ICAMA received honorable mention honors in the Dr. O. Karl Mann website competition. The organization’s website, www.ithaca.edu/ama, was recognized as one of the top 20 among competing chapters. Finally, Scott Erickson, ICAMA advisor and associate professor and chair of marketing and law, was honored with the Hugh G. Wales Outstanding Faculty Advisor Award.
AMA has some 253 collegiate chapters internationally, with about 13,000 members. The vast majority of the chapters are in the United States; the others are in Canada and Mexico.
Quinnipiac Journalism Students Receive Awards
Two broadcast journalism seniors from Quinnipiac University won awards during the Mark of Excellence awards ceremony at the Society of Professional Journalists Region 1 conference held in Portland, Maine.
Kyle Andrukiewicz won first place in the sports reporting category for his in-depth TV piece on the Cheshire girls’ swim team. The team holds the national record for the longest win-streak for dual meets. Because he won first place, Andrukiewicz's entry now advances to the national competition, which will be held in Atlanta in September. Gregory Clary received a third place award in the sports reporting category for his in-depth piece “Curling,” which is about an elderly woman's love of the sport. The students’ stories aired on QNN, the weekly curriculum-based television newscast.
 Drake Students Receive Fulbright Grants
Two Drake University seniors will receive Fulbright grants for the 2008-09 academic year.
Linda Yang, who will graduate with double degrees in secondary education and magazine journalism, received a scholarship for an English teaching assistantship at the Hong Kong Institute of Education in Hong Kong.
 Kathryn Seckman, who will graduate with a bachelor’s degree in international relations and a Global Ambassador Certification, received a scholarship to support her research on the role of women in politics in Morocco. Seckman will interview Moroccan women in the lower house of Parliament and work with local women's organizations to explore the effects of Morocco's quota system which mandates that 10 percent of representatives in the lower house must be female.
In recent years, nine out of 18 Drake students who have applied have received Fulbright grants.
Drury Students Present to International Scientists
 Four Drury undergrads – Adonis Bwashi, Angela Birdwell, Kelley O'Reilly and Heather Sims – presented research that could potentially slow the development of complications from diabetes, including vision, kidney damage and amputations. The students showcased their work at the Experimental Biology 2008 meeting, a gathering of international scientists from a variety of disciplines, including pathology, physiology, nutrition, anatomy and cell biology.
“The chance to present their work in this kind of environment was a great experience for the students,” says Dr. Barbara Wing, chair of the biology department. “Most of the presentations were made by graduate students or research professors, relatively few undergraduates attend these meetings.”
The students’ work was an in vitro screening of compounds for the ability to inhibit the interactions between the sugars and proteins that lead to many of the complications seen in diabetes. The students have found that low concentrations of the amino acid lysine seem to give significant inhibition of these interactions.
Student Wins National Defense Fellowship
 Valparaiso University engineering student Josh Wood is one of 200 undergraduate students in the country selected to receive a 2008 National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship from the U.S. Department of Defense. More than 3,400 applications were reviewed.
The fellowship will cover Wood’s tuition and required fees, along with a yearly stipend starting at $30,500, for the next three years as he pursues an advanced degree. The computer engineering major plans to continue his research in nanotechnology and is currently deciding on which graduate school to attend.
Earlier this semester, Wood became the third Valparaiso engineering student in four years to be named to the All-USA College Academic Team, selected by USA Today to recognize the nation’s most outstanding undergraduate students.
This winter, Wood was one of only a handful of undergraduate students invited to two professional conferences – the International Semiconductor Device Research Symposium and the Applied Power Electronics Conference – to present research that could lead to improvements in the performance of microprocessors.
Wood has presented his research at the National Conference on Undergraduate Research, the largest and most prestigious undergraduate research conference in the United States.
Wagner College Students Win Honors at Eastern Colleges Science Conference
In April a group of 26 faculty members and students from Wagner College attended the 62nd annual Eastern Colleges Science Conference at Niagara University, outside Buffalo. Eighteen students presented their work as papers, oral platforms or poster presentations. Students Michael Bois, Kathryn Chepiga, Sejmir Izeirovski, Christina Lamb, Lauren Maltese and Andrew Pistilli received outstanding presentation awards.
HU Students Compete in Prudential Financial 2008 Business Case Competition
Winners of the Prudential Financial 2008 Business Case Competition, which is held in collaboration with the Hampton University School of Business, included Hampton University students Shayna Thompson, Kimberly A. Pace, Leon Chisolm and Whitney Barno. Undergraduate and graduate teams participated in this year's competition by recommending strategies on which generational group offers Prudential Retirement the best opportunity for growth as a target market. Each student of the winning team received a $5,250 cash award.
HU School of Business professors collaborate with executives from Prudential to develop the case study. Six teams had three weeks to prepare and present their recommendations, based on a predefined set of criteria, to a panel of Prudential executives who traveled to the university to meet with competitors. Finalists were invited to Prudential's headquarters in Newark, NJ, for a full day of events, including the presentation of their strategies to a panel of senior executives.
Three University of Redlands Students Win Fulbright Scholarships
 University of Redlands seniors Daniel Markus, David Armstrong, and Ryan Wu have won Fulbright awards to study abroad, marking the first time current students from the university have received the prestigious scholarship.
“Receiving one is a great achievement; having three is a tremendous recognition of our students, our faculty, and our success in international scholarship,” said Professor Jack Osborn, the Hunsaker Chair of Management, who serves as a coach and advisor to university students interested in applying for a Fulbright. “This is high recognition for our foreign language and music programs, as well as our new global business major.”
Through the Fulbright program, Markus will work in Taiwan as an English teaching assistant for approximately one year while continuing to study Mandarin and Asian culture. Armstrong will study in Berlin, Germany, for one year where he will continue research on immigrant studies. Wu, a music and German major, will study flute performance in Germany while teaching English at a high school.
Valparaiso Radio Station, Student Newspaper Win First Place
 For the second time in three years, Valparaiso University’s student-operated radio station, WVUR 95.1, was named “Radio School of the Year” and won several other awards from the Indiana Association of School Broadcasters. The “Radio School of the Year” award is given to the radio station that demonstrates excellence across its programming.
Valparaiso University’s student newspaper, The Torch, has been named Indiana Division II Newspaper School of the Year for the second consecutive year by the Indiana Collegiate Press Association. The Torch and its staff won 27 awards at the ICPA’s annual convention, including nine first-place awards, 13 second-place awards and five third-place awards for writing, photography and design in the contest, which includes work during the 2007 calendar year.
“The Torch had consistently the best writing of any of the entries,” ICPA judges wrote in the awards report, while also featuring “a textbook design, executed with grace.”
Hampton U. Team Wins Computer-Science Olympiad
Based on its performance in five events—cryptography, Web-site design, programming, robotics and hardware/software integration—a Hampton University computer science team won the Spelman College Computer Science Olympiad.
UE Team Wins NASA Moon Buggy Competition
A team of 10 students from the University of Evansville topped the competition at the NASA Moon Buggy competition in Huntsville, Alabama, marking the first time a UE team has won the competition.
With a time of four minutes, 17 seconds, the UE team beat their nearest competitor by more than 30 seconds.
NASA started the Moon Buggy competition as a way for engineering students across the country to face a real-life design challenge. Creating transportation on the moon was a problem NASA itself tackled through the lunar missions; the competition requires students to follow many of the same rules NASA had to follow to safely travel on the moon at that time.
Butler Students Publish Book Offering Guidance to Future Pharmacists
 Final-year pharmacy students Annah Steckel, Alisha Broberg, Jennell Colwell and Brad Koselke at Butler University have compiled a book titled “Prescription to My Younger Self: What I Learned After Pharmacy School.” The book contains letters from professional pharmacists and corporate executives on what they learned about themselves and their profession after pharmacy school. Notable contributors include Jeffrey Rein, chairman and CEO of Walgreens and Texas state senator Leticia Van de Putte. The book, published by AuthorHouse, is available on Amazon.com and in mainstream bookstores. A portion of the proceeds will go to a scholarship fund in memory of College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences faculty member Dr. Jennifer Ash, and to cancer research in memory of Butler pharmacy student Jeff Harrison, who died of Hodgkin’s lymphoma in November 2007.
Computer Science Students Finish Fourth in Competition
Butler University computer programming students finished fourth in the Carnegie Mellon Spring Programming Contest held in Pittsburgh. The competition includes approximately 35 teams from universities around the country. Each team was given a list of 12 computer science problems, which they were expected to solve (program) during a five-hour period. The team with the most correct answers, completed in the least amount of time, was the winner. The Butler students involved in the competition were: Juan Carlos Bauza Ogazon, Anna Kispert, Joe Lawry, Natalie Mego, Chad Skates, Blake Stephens and Lachin Urazov. Dr. Ankur Gupta, a faculty member in the Computer Science Department, was the faculty coach.
Butler Mock Trial Team Competes in National Tournament
For the first time in five years, Butler University reached the American Mock Trial Association National Tournament in 2008.
During the national tournament, Butler competed in a 34-team division with universities from around the country, including the University of Illinois, Northwestern University, Georgetown University, University of Wisconsin, University of Iowa, University of Notre Dame, and Washington University in St. Louis.
"For a school Butler's size, this is a huge, huge victory just being on the national scene," said Johnny Pryor, director of Post-Graduate Studies. Pryor coaches the eight-student team with his wife, Doris, an Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana.
Westminster Students Selected For Prestigious National Scholarships
Two students at Westminster College have been selected for national scholarships.
 Junior Ashley Pedersen, a member of the Honors Program, is the college’s first-ever winner of the Morris K. Udall Scholarship. The Udall Foundation seeks future leaders across a wide spectrum of environmental fields, and awards 75 scholarships per year of $5,000 to help cover college costs. Pedersen is an environmental studies major whose research has focused on how environmental issues impact people of low socio-economic status.
 Senior Raquel Gabbitas has been selected for the Diversity of Views and Experiences (DOVE) Fellowship at the University of Minnesota where she will pursue a doctorate in neural psychology. The prestigious DOVE Fellowship is awarded to approximately 15 to 20 first-year students from under-represented groups (U.S. citizens or permanent residents) and provides a $22,000 stipend and subsidized health insurance for one academic year.
Simmons Senior Awarded Fulbright Scholarship
 Chelsea Graham, a senior at Simmons College, has won a Fulbright award—one of the world’s most prestigious academic research scholarships. In the Western hemisphere, only 151 Fulbright awards were given for 2008-09. Graham will use the award to study maternal diabetes in Mexico City. She said she was inspired to research the topic after traveling to Nicaragua during a Simmons College service-learning course. Graham will graduate in May with degrees in biochemistry and Spanish.
Free Enterprise Teams at Belmont, Drake, Valparaiso Head to Nationals
 Students in Free Enterprise teams (SIFE) at Belmont University, Drake University and Valparaiso University will head to Chicago for nationals in May. SIFE is an international organization that mobilizes university students on more than 1400 university campuses in 48 countries to make a difference in their communities while developing the skills to become socially responsible business leaders. The Belmont and Valparaiso teams won their respective regional competitions, and the Drake team won second runner-up overall in its regional competition.
Ithaca, Valparaiso Students to Present at National Research Conference
 Nineteen students from Valparaiso University and a dozen from Ithaca College will present undergraduate research projects at the 2008 NCUR national conference in Salisbury, Maryland. NCUR, the largest and most prestigious undergraduate research conference, receives more than 3,000 abstract submissions each year, of which approximately 2,000 are accepted for presentation. Valparaiso students will give oral and poster presentations on a wide variety of subjects including Starbucks and fair trade coffee, education challenges facing Native American women, potential benefits of changes in the administration of the anticoagulant Heparin, the role of women in the early church and the effect of strength training on competitive swimming. Ithaca student presentations include “The Efficiency of the NFL Point Spread Betting Market,” “Gene Expression in Two Incipient Species of the Pea Aphid,” and “S.O.S via SMS: Text Messaging as a Communication Strategy in Hurricane Crises.”
Elon Student Earns Prestigious National Public Service Scholarship
 Breanna Carrie Detwiler has become the first student in Elon University history to receive a Truman Scholarship which is awarded “to persons who demonstrate outstanding potential for and who plan to pursue a career in public service.”
Detwiler is an environmental studies major with minors in non-violence and religious studies. With research interests in food security and farmland conservation, the 21-year-old wants to attend law school at Georgetown University for the study of environmental law. As a 2008 Truman Scholarship winner, she will receive a $30,000 scholarship for graduate study, leadership training, internship opportunities within the federal government and priority admission to top graduate schools.
At Elon, Detwiler manages the Elon Community Garden, is a member of Whole Earth and College Democrats, works on the Student Environmental Sustainability Council and is the student coordinator of the Elon Academy. She is an Elon University Honors Fellow and a member of the Phi Eta Sigma National Honor Society.
Detwiler studied in Ghana, Africa, in January 2007. She worked with Allied Churches Emergency Night Shelter Food Delivery for much of 2007 and is also a member of Students for Peace and Justice.
“Bre's work and her contributions to Elon and her community are examples of the kind of civic responsibility that Elon values and seeks to promote in our curriculum and our students,” said Rebecca Todd Peters, Detwiler’s academic and thesis adviser.
Westminster Nursing Student Wins Western Region Toyota Arenacross Championship
Westminster freshman Cassie Webb took first place in the Western U.S. Region Toyota Arenacross Women’s Division recently. The championship qualifies her to compete at the Rockstar Energy Drink U.S. Open Toyota AMA Arenacross this fall.
“This is something I’ve wanted and worked for for a long time,” said Webb. “I’m looking forward to getting my professional motocross license and competing in the U.S. Open (Arenacross) at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas in October.”
Arenacross is a fast, highly competitive sport where athletes race high-performance off-road motorcycles on man-made dirt tracks. The AMA Arenacross series is divided into four regions throughout the U.S. Webb won the Western region by racing in California, Colorado, Nevada and New Mexico.
Webb, a Westminster Exemplary Achievement Scholar and nursing student, is also the Utah State Women’s Motocross champion.
North Central Wins Journalism Awards
Staff members, including 2007 graduates, of the “North Central Chronicle” received 10 awards for journalistic excellence including three first-place awards from the Illinois College Press Association (ICPA) at its annual conference in Chicago on Feb. 23. The “Chronicle” is North Central College’s weekly student-run newspaper.
Ryan Peters, a 2007 graduate, won first place in the open division for his critical book review of Cormac McCarthy’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel “The Road.” First-place awards in the non-daily division went to senior Nick Piette and junior Ben Chernivsky for their photography.
Other award winners include Ben Wadington, Rachael Young, Betsey Lupole, Wayne Randazzo, Lindsey Theis, Brian Kelly, Christina Bereta, Robyn Gautschy, Sarah Giesenschlag and Jody Larsen.
Elon Senior Awarded Military Honors
 Joey Fix, a senior at Elon University, has been named the 2008 recipient of the George C. Marshall Award from the North Carolina A&T ROTC Aggie Battalion. The award is presented to the most outstanding cadet in a program involving students from six North Carolina colleges and universities. The selection is based on professional excellence, leadership, personal integrity and selfless service to the nation.
“Over the past four years, ROTC has helped me to develop confidence, leadership, and - most importantly – how to interact most effectively with the people around me,” Fix said.
Fix is the son of Colonels Bob and Debbie Fix. He will be commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army in May and will be attending the Field Artillery Officer Basic Course.
Westminster College Athletes are Worldwide Winners
Westminster College sophomore Graham Watanabe (2006 Olympian) placed first in the FIS World Cup snowboard cross in Japan in February 2008. Freeskier and sophomore Ashley Battersby placed first at both the U.S. Freeskiing Open in Copper Mountain, CO, and the Nippon Freeskiing Open in Japan – the largest Freeskiing competitions in the world. Freshman Liz Stephen won the bronze in the women’s 15K mass start in the Under-23 Cross Country World Championships in Malles, Italy.
Continuing the winning streak, Westminster sophomore and U.S. Ski Team Aerialist Emily Cook picked up her first World Cup win in Moscow, Russia on March 1. Flying off a towering scaffold under challenging weather conditions, the former 2006 Olympian competed in front of a crowd of over 30,000 spectators, including Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“Our student pro-athletes are incredibly disciplined,” said Deb Vickery, associate director of Westminster’s START Center. “Balancing rigorous training schedules and academic commitments requires a lot of time management and dedication. These students averaged a 3.34 median G.P.A. for the fall ’07 semester, which attests to the quality of athletic scholars that Westminster enrolls.” |
Four Elon University students have won recognition from Stanford University for their entry in a global contest that challenged teams to create something of value using nothing more than water bottles. Their video entry stemmed from the Elon Innovation Challenge, hosted locally by the Doherty Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership at Elon University.
Elon University senior Breanna Carrie Detwiler has been named a 2009-2010 George J. Mitchell Scholar, making her the first Elon student to receive the award since the competitive scholarship was created in honor of a former United States Senator who helped broker a peace accord in Northern Ireland.
Drake University's music fraternity for women, Sigma Alpha Iota, recently received the Katherine Bekker National Achievement Award. The award is given annually to a single chapter whose officers and members have demonstrated a strong commitment to music on the local and national level. Of a possible nomination pool of 212 chapters across the country, the Sigma Alpha Iota chapter won for its work supporting the music program at Drake and promoting music throughout the Des Moines community. 
Quinnipiac University School of Business students Nicole Adams and Fadila Dawuni, an international student from Ghana, won the William J. Ziegler Best Student Paper Award at the Academy of International Business Southeast chapter conference.
Paige Spangler, a 2008 graduate of North Central College, was crowned No. 1 Student DJ in the country at the national convention of the Collegiate Broadcasters, Inc. (CBI) in October. 
Danielle Edwards, a senior at Drake University, is one of nearly 40 college students who recently received the Most Promising Minority Student Award from the American Advertising Federation.
Elon University seniors Ivy Crank, John Planisek, Lindsay Clement and Chase Rumley have been selected to join Teach for America, a highly selective program that recruits recent top college graduates and working professionals to commit two years to teach in low-income communities across the country. They were among 5,857 applicants in the first of four recruiting periods for the program’s 2009-10 academic year.
The Quinnipiac University chapter of Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) and its business, Café Cameroon, have been selected to appear in the national organization's new international marketing campaign, "Products of Success."
A recent MBA graduate creating her own fair-trade women's apparel company won more than $15,000 in prize money and in-kind business service awards during the third annual Silverman Business Plan Competition held this month at the Simmons School of Management, the leading business school in the U.S. specifically designed for women. 
Most people with high blood pressure have no symptoms. The only way to know if it’s high is to have it checked. This is the message Butler University students are sharing with the Indianapolis community as part of the Blood Pressure Success Zone Program, a partnership between Butler’s College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, the Indianapolis Colts, ADVANTAGE Health Solutions, Inc. and CVS/pharmacy.
The Alabama State Board of Public Accountancy has announced that Patrick Barker, a 2007 graduate of Samford University's Brock School of Business with a degree in accounting, achieved the highest score of all candidates who took the CPA exam in the most recent testing period. 
Kelsey Johnson and Emily Regan work diligently in the chill morning air. They carry wrenches, bolts and tins of heavy machine grease across the back parking lot of Arts West to assemble an industrial-sized nut sheller they hope will improve the quality of life in an African village on the other side of the world.
This morning, they’re working with Matt Zettl, father of senior Kathryn Zettl, to build a Universal Nut Sheller as part of the Full Belly Project.
Samford University debaters dominated a Vanderbilt University Debate Tournament, returning with top team and individual honors. The Samford varsity team of Logan Gramzinski and Dan Bagwell defeated the University of Georgia in the final round to claim first place. 
The debaters defeated teams from James Madison, Emory, Kentucky and the University of Georgia en route to the finals. Gramzinski, a sophomore, was named the top individual speaker of the 48 individual competitors at the tournament in Nashville, Tenn. This year's national debate topic is whether or not farm subsidies should be substantially decreased.
The University of Evansville has the highest graduation rate of student-athletes in the Missouri Valley Conference, according to the annual Graduation Success Rate Report released today by the NCAA.
Aron Christian ’05 is using his natural eye for style and the marketing skills he learned as a Butler University student to help launch a new Indianapolis-based fashion house called House of 5th.
Computing sciences faculty member Joel Hollingsworth will lead two Elon University teams to compete in the regional phase of the world's most prestigious computer programming competition. Fourteen colleges and universities will compete in the regional contest Oct. 25 at Duke University.
When Old National Bank offered Ritu Shah an internship in its Human Resources office, she wanted to reward the company with her best work.
Two magazines produced by Drake University journalism students are finalists for one of the top honors in college media -- the Associated Collegiate Press' Pacemaker award.
The program was kick-started with the donation of nine bicycles that had been sitting unused in Harstad Hall’s basement for more than two years – presumably abandoned by former students. Pfaff and his team started fixing up the bicycles for use by the co-op. He’s still working out the fee structure and some of the liability issues, but Pfaff expects most of the bikes will be rented out on a per-semester basis, and at a fee of no more than $50 a semester. The goal, after all, is to get people bicycling – not make money. 
Jennifer Culkin will receive a 2008 Rona Jaffe Foundation Writers Award, which is given annually to six women writers who demonstrate excellence and promise in the early stages of their writing careers. Now in its 14th year, the Rona Jaffe Awards have helped many women build successful writing careers by offering encouragement and financial support at a critical time. 
